Roleplaying Guide
There are roleplayers, and there are roleplayers. (Meant as a guide only, not a set of rules on how to play) Many of us remember the days of Ultima Online (especially early UO), where the roleplayers spoke in “thee’s” and “thou’s” while the d00dZkI114z talked in “ph43r’s” and “1334’s.” Both were “roleplaying” in a sense, and in their own way, both added to the game. A certain personality generally went along with the manner of speech, and helped to create two (very) divergent cultures. The “war” of sorts that broke out between the two groups was inevitable – their playing styles were simply incompatible. My contention, however, is that that very war, along with its implications, was the most genuine thing that Ultima Online ever produced. Now, this guide is not intended to be a nostalgic treatise on what we miss from the Ultima Online glory days, but a practical guide for what “roleplaying” will mean for members of the Paragon Paladins within TOR. What I want to make clear, though, is that roleplaying is critical to the development of the galaxy of TOR into something more than a glorified chat room, even if playing styles disagree. The important thing is that a culture developes around our play styles – a community that lives and breathes within its virtual confines. *We will not be the “hardcore” roleplayers from Ultima Online/Everquest. *We will not (or most will not, I’m certain) speak in “thee’s” and “thou’s.” *We do expect, however, that members will adopt a persona in-game, however simplistic or extravagent, and act, react, speak, and live within that persona. To some extent, some of our characteristics will be similar: we are specific classes and Star Wars races, after all. However, we need not be identical; indeed, the game would grow excrutiatingly boring if everyone were exactly alike. Rather, we should take our similarities and build them into different personas with their own subtleties, quirks, and characteristics. Contrary to what a lot of people think, it is not hard to roleplay. You don’t have to spend hours spinning tales of your past exploits, or making up oddities that make your character unique. You can start with a blank slate and simply let your real-life personality shine through, if you wish, and use only your in-game experiences to develop your character. A critical aspect of roleplaying is that, while in-game, you put aside your real life, its troubles and its trials, suspend your disbelief in the force and aliens and monsters, and let yourself become someone else. In practice, what does this all mean? You can go as far as you want with roleplay. Within the guild, some will go all-out in their roleplaying – making personal histories, and developing their characters in great detail. All that is required, however, is that you make the effort to step out of the real world. Forget about the football game, and don’t tell everyone that you’re “afk bathroom break” using a public channel, and don’t use words like “1334,” “d00d,” “r0xx0rz,” “tw1nk,” etc. Obviously we all have real world concerns, and I’m a big sports fan myself – I know how hard it can be to hold back from mentioning things, especially when something big happens. There will always be a /tell equivalent function, a chat channel for the guild, perhaps even voice comms in the game and through those you can keep it amidst people who want to hear. Open chat / Vincinity chat / Global chat channels, however, are for the game. The Paragon is a light-RP guild. Casual/Light roleplaying is encouraged, not forced. Hopefully this short guide has has helped you gain some insight into what it means to roleplay in a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Roleplaying Game).